This week, I took on the ultimate lazy-fem challenge: full-face makeup for an entire week. I know what you’re thinking: “Either this girl is crazy or she’s got a lot of time on her hands.” Well, you’re correct both ways. Being from a small town with not much to do except spend money and not having much money to spend, I did find myself with more time on my hands than usual. Here’s what I learned and some tips I’ve learned from doing my makeup every single day. Please note when I say “full face” I mean the works!
Obviously I didn’t use every single pallette or every single lip colour everyday, but I used one of each or mix-and-matched.
1. The importance of washing your face
The first thing I noticed was that using makeup wipes at the end of the day is more of a Plan B than a Plan A. Washing my face every night became a necessity. I also noticed that more than just a simple wash was required. I needed to exfoliate at least twice, use face moisturizer every night, and use a brightening mask (I strongly suggest Brazened Honey by Lush!) since my face became super dull due to all of the product I was using. I still used wipes to fully remove my eye makeup and my lips. Also, make sure you’re washing your makeup brushes weekly or bi-weekly to remove any bacteria they may be growing!
2. I couldn’t do this with a full schedule
There is no way I would have been able to accomplish this properly on a strict time schedule. As a mild perfectionist, I tend to take a long time to do my makeup for me to be completely satisfied. Normally, I only stick to full face when it’s the weekend and I’m going out with my girls!
3. Makeup-spiration saved me countless times
You would not believe how much fun it is to watch makeup tutorials! Not only is it entertaining, but it really helped give me the skills and ideas I needed for each day. My favourite makeup YouTuber is Lauren Curtis, but I also love Manny Mua, Gigi Gorgeous (she’s not a tutorial channel, but more of a beauty vlogger), Carli Bybel, and NikkieTutorials. I don’t check a lot of beauty blogs very often but one I do love is HC UWindsor’s own Glam by Sam, but you can always search around Pinterest as well!
4. I got a little crafty
I tried to change up my look each day, and as I watched more tutorials I was able to learn more things. My favourite thing that I learned was cooking a.k.a baking. To “cook” or “bake” your makeup, you take a loose light powder, preferably a white transparent powder (I highly recommend Mac’s Prep+Prime in “Translucent”), and a wedge sponge. Some sources say to dampen the wedge sponge with a setting spray, but personally I don’t do this step. Then at the edge of your sponge, take a generous amount of powder and apply it to the areas that you would like to highlight. I usually “cook” under my ear-to-mouth contour line and on my jaw line. Let the powder sit for 5 to 10 minutes then taking a powder brush and lightly dust it off! You can view a video of the practice here. (He starts the actual process at 2:14!) I fell in love with this technique because it really brought out the hollows of my cheeks and my jaw line without actually having to contour. Strobing anyone? Another great thing to do with the Mac Prep+Prime powder is to use your finger to smooth out a little into the corner of your eyes (where they meet your nose) to really brighten them up! You can use a simple eye shadow brush to smooth out the powder as well.
5. I got a little spendy
I completely fell head-over-heels for liquid lipsticks during this experiment. Like, unbelievably head-over-heels. I love how easy they are to apply, how pigmented they are (one pump is enough), and how long they last! Drugstore brands are just coming out with liquid lipsticks, but you can find some good ones from L’Oréal Paris (I bought 2), and I also bought one from Stila. If you go to a Sephora, they’ll colour match you and find you the best colour for your complexion. Liquid lipsticks there range from $18-$35, but the ones at the drugstore are $15, so if you have the extra $5-$10, it makes a big difference in quality. Alongside liquid lipsticks, I learned to really appreciate a good highlighter. I previously owned Benefit’s High Beam and recently purchased Mac’s Mineralize Skin Finish which is the new love of my life. I use the liquid highlighter with my concealer and a beauty blender and top with the powder highlighter to make my cheekbones pop and my face glow.
6. I had a lot of fun!
All in all, I had a lot of fun with this experiment. Being able to sit with myself for an hour while I made myself feel even prettier was quality “me time”. I would usually throw on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” or Badlands by Halsey and just have a great time. After, I’d feel great, look great, and take a million selfies. It’s really true what they say ladies: we get ready for ourselves.